Chapter 227

Chapter 227

Darkness had fallen deeply. It was a night with a new moon, so faint that there was almost no moonlight, making the inside of the dense forest so dark it was completely invisible. The soldiers on guard duty were also more tense and vigilant than usual.

Swish.

And a doll-like figure easily bypassed this thorough security. Even though someone passed right by them, the guards felt nothing more than a gust of night air, not sensing anything unusual.

Well, there’s no need to talk about it as if it were someone else. Naturally, it’s me. Although the sentries were on high alert without slacking off or being careless, no matter how cautious they were, it was naturally impossible for them to detect my presence with their skills.

Even in broad daylight, where everything is clearly visible, it’s impossible to even have a one-in-a-million chance in the dead of night, when assassins are most active, especially under the darkness of a new moon with almost no moonlight. Of course, conversely, such darkness poses no obstacle to me.

While there’s no need to hide my movements even from our allies, there’s also the inconvenience of having to go through an extra procedure to move like this.

Of course, my friends tried to stop me, saying they absolutely couldn’t let me go, and I broke out in a cold sweat, but after persistent persuasion, I finally got their permission. Besides, the reason I’m moving now isn’t to fight, but just to do some reconnaissance.

Even though I’m acting as a Hero now, I was at the pinnacle of assassination in my past life. Even if I were discovered by the enemy, it would be as simple as escaping with my eyes closed, given my skills.

You might ask what happened when I was captured by my friends, including Celian, last time, but honestly, that case is not comparable. Back then, I wasn’t hiding my body like now; rather, I was ambushed.

Thinking back now, I’m glad my friends managed to capture me then, even if it was late. If I had truly succeeded in escaping then, I wouldn’t have been able to mend our friendships like I have now.

Speaking of which, moving stealthily in the darkness after so long brings back a sense of nostalgia. These days, I’ve only moved as a Hero and a swordsman with my friends, completely hiding my assassin persona. No matter how much I curse being raised as an assassin, the identity of an assassin built over many years was undeniably another part of me that couldn’t be separated.

As I seemed to be entering the Demon King’s army territory, I felt a sticky atmosphere. I could hear murmuring voices and the roars of monsters. The increasing demonic energy as I went deeper made me frown, but it wasn’t a significant hindrance, just unpleasant.

Since I had entered the heart of the enemy territory, I had to move cautiously, so I stopped running and started walking slowly. Of course, I had no fear of being discovered, but there’s no harm in being careful. Occasionally, I spotted a few low- and mid-ranking demons, but none of them seemed particularly noteworthy.

Although lightly taking the heads of a few mid-ranking demons as I passed would be a great help to our allies, I didn’t step forward. Even though it’s a simple task, if I were to get caught by showing off and creating a few corpses, I would have to return without any significant gains and without having made the trip here worthwhile. After all, I came all the way here myself, so it would only be worthwhile if I got to see Vulcan’s face.

As I moved freely as if I were in my own home, I soon discovered a noticeable aura. It seemed that it hadn’t been long since this one had awakened as a high-ranking demon, as it couldn’t properly control its aura and was trailing demonic energy, but thanks to that, my search was made easier.

This creature seemed to be a physical type, as the body of the dog-headed high-ranking demon looked quite solid. In fact, its clumsy handling of energy, even to the point of trailing demonic energy, served as an advantage, as the dog-headed demon’s skin was undoubtedly tough, as if it were wearing armor. It was likely that ordinary soldiers’ swords would be easily deflected without a second thought. It was understandable that our soldiers were struggling given its appearance.

Having confirmed one of the main targets for reconnaissance, I then looked for another presence. Not far away, I sensed another presence of similar size to the dog-headed creature. As I leisurely moved my steps, I soon saw it. As if they were a set, this one was a demon with a bird’s head.

Unlike the dog-headed creature, this bird-headed one, despite its appearance, seemed to be a magic-user type, holding a staff adorned with a skull in one hand, which was rather unfitting.

Then, I suddenly noticed that, like the dog-headed creature, the bird-headed one also couldn’t properly control its energy, as if it were wearing clothes that didn’t fit. Of course, this was not a disadvantage for us. It meant that their level was on the lower end even among high-ranking demons, which could be considered a good sign.

“Ugh…”

Then, I suddenly sensed a new presence. It was a demonic energy that far surpassed that of the dog-headed and bird-headed creatures I had just seen. The ferocity of the demonic energy was so intense that it could be felt even from a distance.

Naturally, there was only one creature in this place that would emit such a mad demonic energy.

Vulcan.

He was a creature who was particularly obsessed with fighting even among the warlike demons, and in a way, he was simple, making him not difficult to deal with. It was simply a matter of overpowering him with brute force. That’s why I prioritized coming here first to defeat him.

Vulcan, like the high-ranking demons, was also trailing demonic energy, but the difference was that Vulcan wasn’t leaking energy due to lack of control; rather, he was deliberately emitting energy to reveal himself more.

The aura I felt and my comparison to my past life showed no significant differences. I had seen cases where things had changed drastically from my past life, so I came out of caution, but it turned out to be unnecessary worry. After all, the only change from my past life was that I became the Hero instead of Celian. How much impact could that have on Vulcan on the other side of the continent? Lilith’s case was an anomaly.

Wanting to get a closer look, I took one more step forward. And at that moment, Vulcan, who had been as still as a statue, turned his head. Our eyes met, and our gazes locked. Beyond his dark pupils, I could feel his madness.

What a sharp one. I apologize to Karina, who was trying to hide my identity from the enemy, but I was discovered after all. Well, it doesn’t change much even if I’m discovered. Rather, after confirming the enemy’s strength, there’s no need to hide it, as the arrival of my friends and I has significantly widened the power gap between both sides.

Meanwhile, only Vulcan had noticed my presence. However, he didn’t shout at his subordinates. Instead, he looked at me and gave a chillingly mad smile.

No matter what he does, escaping is not difficult given the distance, but I appreciate him not causing unnecessary trouble. Of course, he’s not doing this out of consideration for me, but rather because he wants to have a proper fight tomorrow.

– I’ll be waiting.

Vulcan, who seemed so eager to fight me, mouthed the words clearly without making a sound. I was about to turn back, but since he welcomed me so enthusiastically, I couldn’t help but respond.

I raised my middle finger towards Vulcan as a response and then turned my body, heading back the way I came.

Yeah, screw you~

***

Having seen two high-ranking demons and Vulcan, there was nothing more to scout, so I returned directly to the tent where my friends were waiting. The sentry on duty still hadn’t noticed that I had left, nor did they notice my return. Yes, this is normal.

“I’m back.”

“El!”

Even before I left, Celian, perhaps worried about me due to her memories from her past life, rushed to hug me as soon as I pushed aside the tent entrance and stepped inside. I gently patted Celian’s back as she held me tightly, then looked at the other friends. Some of them had rather displeased expressions, seemingly unhappy that I had insisted on going into enemy territory.

“Tch, a step too late…”

“Huh? Too late?”

“Ah, no! So, Hero-nim, were you satisfied with going without us?”

In response to Mariel’s question, I broke free from Celian’s embrace and explained in detail what I had seen on my trip. Of course, the only things to be wary of were the high-ranking demons and Vulcan, but simply confirming those facts with my own eyes was a significant help.

“I don’t think we need to change the plan from what we initially devised. Celian and I will handle Vulcan, and I’ll leave the rest to everyone else.”

“Yeah! You said he was a dog-head, right? I’ll definitely take care of him!”

Seeing Anne shouting with confidence made me feel incredibly reassured. I’m sure Anne could easily slice through his tough hide like pudding.

…No, with Anne’s ridiculously large greatsword, she could probably just crush him.

After all, the enemies we have to face are not just Vulcan and the high-ranking demons. We also have to fend off a large army, including mid-ranking demons. Of course, our soldiers are not incompetent, so we can leave them to it, but by helping them, we can significantly reduce casualties.

After reviewing the simple yet solid plan once more, I fell asleep immediately, without even chatting, in preparation for the decisive battle tomorrow.